Well, we dun gon an dun it. Visited Elkhart Friday. Took all this good advice to heart and went down to visit the factory for ourselves and see everything first hand. Needless to say, we have joined the family. Put in our order for our own PC. To the surprise of even us, we actually chose the 2552 and with a slide. Several of y'all mentioned having come out of the PW van and into the PC. Several mentioned having started with the 2350 and then graduating up to a bigger unit. The couch, the bathroom, and sleeping arrangements all considered, we did a 180 degree turn-around and decided to go longer and more liveable for our planned year on the road. We decided that we liked the openness of the twin bed model and the larger bathroom, a shower you definitely could change your mind in, and the already-decided need/want of that beautiful comfy Euro chair. (My comments in purple below to the conversation in progress:)

One thing that surprised them was the height of the toilet. It is plainly too tall for both of them. They have a question to ask the factory about a lower pedistal....maybe no pedistal.

I do not know about the toilets in the newer models of the 2350 but from the pictures it looks like it is on a pedistal. But in the 2551, the toilet is much lower since it is a different model toilet and it does not sit on a pedistal. Having had both the 2350 and now 2551 it was a real surprise when I first used the 2551 after having been used to the 2350.

You are correct: the 2551/2 toilet is not on a pedestal - it is "normal" height and has a foot flush. The 2350 that we saw in production was on a pedestal but Amanda, Stuart's delightful daughter, told us she could check into d/c'ing that pedestal if we were interested.

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They liked our older sliding windows for improved air circulation while parked.

At first we were not sure if the newer style windows would give us the air circulation but having had both kinds of windows now we find the newer style to work very nice. Surprisingly you get very good circulation through them. And the best part is you do not have to worry about them being open if it is raining. We also like the rimless look on the outside.

Ron's sliders are nice, but as was pointed out, for rain purposes and for not worrying about the dogs cleverly finding a way out while left alone, the new style is really fine. And, the awning-style window over the driver's side twin bed is actually a full awning top to bottom, on the right half of the window, so gives nice air flow.

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It may be the old uncomfortable jack-knife style sofa.

When someone needed to sleep in our 2350 on the sofa I always placed a piece of memory foam underneath the sheets and there were never any complaints. I would then roll the memory foam up and store it behind the sofa.

They do put memory foam on this jack-knife sofa now, so it truly is not bad when it comes to comfort. I tried one out that was being put in a 2100 model -- but this very setup was what convinced me that we did not want to go with a 2350 without a slide, as it felt very "close" for me in there and the bed wasn't even folded down. It would be fine for a single person or someone with a small dog -- but perhaps not for two humans and several dogs.

It is nice that they had a chance to see your unit so they can now compare the differences between 2007 and 2013. Hopefully they will be able to pick and chose and get exactly what they want. Sue

Well, once again, thank you all for your good wishes and extremely helpful advice. Ron's PC was a good backdrop for us to go see the 2013's and having spent time with him in his, made viewing them at the factory quick and easy. We believe that we did, get exactly what we wanted. Love the people at the factory, everyone was terrific, and am glad for Kermit that he has done so well both for himself and all of us who benefit from his hard work!

~marilyn

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~marilyn"Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God." Jim Elliot

I am so happy that you closely examined all your options and picked the one that meets your needs best. Personally, I think a 2552 is ideal for the two of you given your personal circumstances. You got the slide out after-all, a feature hard to pass up, especially when considering your large dogs.

You will surely have questions about options to consider, so ask away here on this forum. You might also want to ask the PC community for their thoughts, if a 2552 will require a tow vehicle for your particular travel style and considering your dogs.

Congratulations on a great decision. I am sure you'll love your new home on wheels.

Welcome to the PC family.

Blessings,Ron

« Last Edit: August 06, 2012, 11:01:42 am by ron.dittmer »

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Ron Dittmer (wife Irene) 2007 Model 2350 Without A SlideoutOur Rig Is Available For Viewing Any Time Of Year In Dundee, ILStored At Home In Our Heated Garage (Well-Lit & Warm Comfort In Winter)

Having lived with two big dogs in a 2350 and now having a 2552 with one large 100 lb German Shepherd Dog, I think you will be happy with your choice. We had half a page of modifications to our 2552, like shelves in both shirt closets, no roof vent in the bedroom (the one in the bathroom was close enough to do the job), two fantastic fans (bathroom and living room) and jacks to level the PC when camped. What mods have you requested? You will see a lot of factory mods and a lot of owner mods on here. Pick and chose what you like and ask Stuart about them. One of the best things about Phoenix is their willingness to work with the customer to get just what the customer wants.

That's wonderful news! It sounds like you made a good choice. We just picked up our 2100 w/slide July 10th and love it. Can't imagine not having the slide for the extra room. Glad you had the great experience the rest of us have had working with the crew, Stuart, Amanda and Kermit, as well as their staff, at Phoenix, from making changes to the layout at the beginning all the way to fixing a few small things and changes when we picked it up. One thing that impressed us (along with many other things) was when we went back a couple of times our requests or fixes were worked on immediately. We weren't put off to the end of the line.

Congrats on selecting a new 2552S as your coach of choice. I honestly think you have amde a super call to go with a slide and a little longer coach. Now comes the fun part of delivery and packing it up for the first outing.

Having lived with two big dogs in a 2350 and now having a 2552 with one large 100 lb German Shepherd Dog, I think you will be happy with your choice. We had half a page of modifications to our 2552, like shelves in both shirt closets, no roof vent in the bedroom (the one in the bathroom was close enough to do the job), two fantastic fans (bathroom and living room) and jacks to level the PC when camped. What mods have you requested? ....One of the best things about Phoenix is their willingness to work with the customer to get just what the customer wants.

In my Sunday morning rambling around the forum, I re-read all your hearty congratulations, and realized that I never got back on here and thanked all of you for your good wishes. It is so nice to be part of a forum where you don't find your thoughts put down because you don't happen to be in perfect alignment with a responder's point of view. I so appreciated all the welcome and encouragement. You are a special bunch of folks!To answer Tom Hanlon's question:

we opted to d/c the tv antenna, roof rack, and back ladder as things we have never/plan to never use. I have no business climbing on top of the camper and the ladder would soon be a problem for me getting into the back storage area. If as ge_montana said, the vehicle ever needs to be torn from our grip and sold to someone else, a ladder and roof rack could be added by the (sob!) new owner. We have used the antenna on our various B vans maybe once in the last ten years, and found that here in Illinois it is only a snow catcher in the winter months.

We added levelers (yes, we took heed and will make sure they are on our walkthru list lest we drive 170 miles down the road and discover they are missing! That's why a night at Eby's again will be necessary),

a 2nd FFan in the living area,

a two step entrance,

the new shades for the cab area,

Tom's shelves in the shirt closets,

the 6 way driver's seat,

insulated glass and a small awning over the couch window for those hoped for Arizona days,

back up camera since this is a longer vehicle than we had planned,

an added 12 v plug for the kitchen as I love using my small 12v crock pot (and yes, I do understand about the inverter...),

and vinyl flooring, as we travel with dogs.

We hope to do the BBB drawer cutting board replacement as well as holding some other things suggested here in the wings to see if they will work for us. We are getting the bedspreads -- but since we travel with dogs will probably put some others on for travel -- something more Southwestern to perk up the tame interior we have chosen (maple cabinets, sunlit leather, vinyl floor) -- something we won't worry about the fur girls jumping on. The PC ones will be in reserve in case ge_montana is right...

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~marilyn"Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God." Jim Elliot

Those sound like some cool mods. We got the ladder but not the roof rack. One never knows when you might need to get on the roof to clean it or remove tree branches.

One other thing we have found has to do with the overhead lights. The new switch by the door turns on the light by the kitchen and we would have preferred it turn on the light by the door. We also wish they have taken one of the two bedroom overhead lights and put it up front near the front cabinets. Those cabinets can be kind of dark inside at night. I really don't need four lights and two reading lights in the bedroom.

Are you going to get the front shades from Amanda? They are kind of expensive but work really well at keeping people from seeing in during the day, keeping the sun/heat out and at night keeping the outside light from lighting up the front curtains.

...We got the ladder but not the roof rack. One never knows when you might need to get on the roof to clean it or remove tree branches.

....The new switch by the door turns on the light by the kitchen and we would have preferred it turn on the light by the door. We also wish they have taken one of the two bedroom overhead lights and put it up front near the front cabinets...

...Are you going to get the front shades from Amanda? They are kind of expensive but work really well at keeping people from seeing in during the day, keeping the sun/heat out and at night keeping the outside light from lighting up the front curtains.

I understand about the need for the ladder "just in case." For me (not real adept at climbing, even when I was a kid) if I need to get at or see the roof, I will use my garage A-frame ladder -- and hope that I don't back into a tree at a campsite where I don't have a ladder. I will really depend on my navigator/sister now for such clearances! For the darker shirt cabinets, I will probably opt for one of those small "stick up" lights. I've kept one in the bathroom of our PW for years as I hate to use the overhead lights early in the a.m. -- too bright. The recent PW's have utilized LED lights on a dimmer switch and I think when PC eventually considers using them, it will be a really classy move. Kermit can take a look at ours when we bring it down for trade in. Really looks absolutely cool at night. I can just see those in combo with the cherry cabinets that many of you have chosen...

I actually love the switch that turns on the kitchen light -- when we looked at Ron's, he didn't have that and it was one of my concerns. So I was glad to see that they had added that. One good thing about it turning on a light farther back from the door, is that I would think it would draw less bugs in, not that we ever stay where there are bugs (Bar Harbor, Minnesota, the UP....)

Yes, those are the front shades from Amanda -- pricey but my sister decided that both for the thermal reasons and for the privacy for our dogs who love to people-watch but who don't need to be seen by outsiders -- we just couldn't pass them up. Thanks for all your comments and keep those thoughts coming!

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~marilyn"Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God." Jim Elliot

on our 2350, we opted for no ladder. The MH has a much cleaner look without the ladder. That being said:

On our way back home, last year (2551) the hatch in the living area flew open at 65 MPH on Rt. 77. Pulled over at a Rest Area and had to close the hatch from the outside-got up on the roof via the ladder.

When we were on our way to trade-in the 2551 on the 2910, we were at S. Foster State Park in Florida and heard this horrible noise from the air conditioning unit. Again, up on the roof! There was a frog in the air conditioning unit---

When we picked up the 2910 had to get on the roof again. The T.V antenna had been caulked and it wouldn't rotate.